


Family Picnic

by Onehelluvapilot



Series: Gwenfest 2021 [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Baby Fic, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Gen, Picnics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:07:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29124639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: Gwen and her family, both actual and found, go on a picnic.
Relationships: Elyan & Gwen (Merlin), Gwen & Amr, Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Gwenfest 2021 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137071
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25
Collections: Gwen Fest





	Family Picnic

Guinevere had not been outside the castle in months. It had been a harsh winter that Arthur didn’t want the new baby to go out into the elements and catch chill, and while Gwen could easily have left the child with his father or the nurse and gone on a walk or a ride herself, she didn’t really want to. She couldn’t imagine wanting to leave Amr, and the castle was big enough and had some private gardens that she could get fresh air in so she didn’t feel too trapped. When spring came, however, and the last snows melted and the flowers began to bloom, she immediately organized a picnic for her, the baby, Arthur, Merlin, her brother, and the rest of the Round Table out to the meadow where she used to pick wildflowers for Morgana when she was a maid. Taking such a large group out was quite an undertaking, and she didn’t want to spring the need for a packed lunch on Audrey and the kitchens on short notice, so she planned it a week in advance. By the time it rolled around, she was practically bouncing with excitement.

“If you take any longer with this I’m going to ask Merlin to do it,” she complained as Arthur fumbled with lacing up her bodice in the morning. Her husband was not a morning person, which was frustrating at times, because she loved to wake up early at get things done.

“Gwen, why don’t you just go with Merlin and the others now, and I can catch up?” He asked, stifling a yawn badly.

“No, I want this to be a family outing,” she retorted. It was said a bit sharply, and she quickly realized he didn’t deserve that. She turned and raised a hand gently to his cheek. “I’m sorry. But please, baby, I haven’t been outside in months, and I want to be with you when I ride out with our son.”

“You’re right,” Arthur said, leaning down to kiss her. “And I’m the one who’s sorry. I forgot that you’ve been inside all winter, while I’ve ridden out with the knights many times.”

“Well, I can’t say I envy you your snow patrols,” Gwen said. During the harshest time of the winter, he’d come home chilled to the bone on more than one occasion, and had to spent hours heating up in front of the fire. Though she did think his shivering might have been played up a little so that she would stay lying against him on the bear rugs by hearth a while longer. Having a baby tended to interrupt most of their intimate moments, even though Amr had full time nursemaid and governess who would take him whenever the couple needed some time alone. Speaking of which, he cried out suddenly from his cradle, and she had to go pick him up with her corset half done.

They got a later start to the picnic than Gwen would have liked, but she found that once she was out in the warm morning sun, she didn’t really mind. Elyan rode on one side of her and Arthur on the other, with baby Amr tucked against her chest in a sling. Her whole family, right around her. And just behind them rode Merlin, Leon, Lancelot, Gwaine, and Percival: her friends that were so close that they were practically family. 

They didn’t really need to be riding; the meadow was in walking distance, but the horses needed exercise and they also presented a more regal figure to the people by riding through the town instead of walking. Gwen had never liked the performative aspects of royalty like this, but she acknowledged their importance and so consented to it. She liked to imagine Amr when he was bigger riding a pony or horse, his brown curls of hair blowing in the wind and the sunlight shining on his face. Already she knew that he was going to be a good man and a great king, like his father before him.

They reached the meadow soon, and Merlin and Lancelot hurried to lay out the blankets and even some pillows they brought before Gwen dismounted. Out of politeness, she waited for them, and let Arthur come over to help her down from her horse, even though she didn’t need the assistance. The other knights grabbed the food and began to lay out their picnic, with Gwaine already nabbing one of the honey cakes. Elyan looked like he was going to do the same thing, but then he looked over at Gwen. She knew him well enough to know what he was thinking, and motioned for him to sit down beside her on the blanket. She took Amr carefully from his sling and passed the baby to her brother, carefully supporting his head. It was far from the first time that Elyan had held his nephew, but the novelty of it still clearly hadn’t worn off, as his face lit up with pure joy.

“I still just forget I’m an uncle sometimes,” he admitted quietly. Watching him hold her baby so carefully, Gwen was reminded of how wonderful of a father he would be someday. As brother in law to the king, his prospects for a political marraige had been expanded significantly since their wedding, but he wasn’t interested in most noble women seeking a good match in terms of status. She thought he was much more likely to return the affections of one of the many maids that swooned over him than to marry into more money or power. Although, last time Princess Elena had visited, the two of them seemed to get on rather well…

“Can I hold him next?” Lancelot asked quietly, kneeling down on the blanket beside his friends. Gwen smiled brightly at him. Normally they had to be careful about him showing too much affection for the baby in private, lest the rumors about him and Guinevere’s supposed ‘affair’ be rekindled, but it was just trusted friends here now, so he could be as loving as he wanted. Elyan held Amr for a few minutes longer before very carefully shifting him over. Unfortunately, the child was not happy about being moved ands began to cry. 

Gwen instantly held out her arms, expecting him to be passed back to her, but Lancelot didn’t seem dissuaded by the sudden wailing. “Can I try to calm him first?” he asked, differing to the mother of course. She nodded, and he lifted the child up against his shoulder and began to bounce very gently while starting to sing. 

He had a beautiful voice and Guinevere felt as comforted by it as her baby, who quickly stopped crying. Arthur shifted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her back. Distantly, she could hear Gwaine, who was not a quiet enough person for babies but who had already announced that he was planning on being Amr’s favorite honorary uncle when he was older, shrieking as Percival chased him around the meadow after the honey rolls. Leon was brushing out the hair of one of the horses, and joined in the melody with a little humming. Merlin laughed, genuinely and beautifully, at one of the lyrics of the song, she didn’t quite hear what. _Right here_ , Gwen thought to herself, surrounded by family and love, _I could be happy right here for the rest of my life._


End file.
